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It was on this date that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenburg Church and historically, Protestants have pointed to this action as the spark which ignited the great Reformation of the 16th century. It was not, of course, the spark, if you mean by that the first action to call the church to reform. This had been done numerous times for over two hundred years prior to Luther’s action. But it was the spark in that Luther’s act brought everything that had been done previously to a head and the Reformation came like a flood after it.

But it was no accident that Luther did what he did on “Halloween” — “all saints eve.” The word “hallow” means to “sanctify” (thus we pray “hallowed be Thy name” when we desire God to glorify and exalt His name in the earth). October 31 is the evening prior to All Saints’ Day, which is tomorrow, November 1. (more…)

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I haven’t mentioned the Bucer Institute here and that’s a big, BIG mistake. We’ve had some excellent lectures over the past few years and this semester has been no exception. Last weekend we enjoyed a visit from Ralph Smith (pastor of the Mitaka Evangelical Church in Tokyo, Japan) who gave four lectures on the baptism of Christ and they were outstanding. In addition, on the first Saturday of October, Duane Garner gave four timely lectures on how to watch and understand TV and the movies (called “The Spectator and the Spectacle”).

Both sets of lectures are well worth your time and you can download them as MP3s here.

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We just got back from attending the CREC Council and Presbytery meeting in Houston, Texas, where AAPC was received as a full member congregation (from mission church status). The entire week was a great encouragement. This year marked a significant turning point in the history of the CREC as we divided into seven regional presbyteries (AAPC was assigned to Wycliffe Presbytery which includes churches in Louisiana, Arkansas, and East Texas).

I continue to be amazed over the gifts and graces of the men who are in this denomination. The sincerity, integrity, and open-hearted spirit of the men and churches which make up the CREC are unsurpassed and it is a great privilege to be a part of it. The growth has been phenomenal and I fully expect it to continue over the coming years. Where else can you find joyful, whole-hearted allegiance to the Reformed tradition AND a sincere desire to continue reforming according to the Scripture? Where else can you find robust, biblical worship AND missionary zeal (with member churches in Russia, the Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, England, Japan, and the USA)? Where else can you find genuine love for ones’ own members AND a genuine love and appreciation for the brethren in other denominations? Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this?

Oh, of course we have a long way and lots to learn. In no way can we even pretend to have *arrived* — but I can’t imagine being in a better place to grow in wisdom and in likeness to the Savior than where the Lord has placed us. Thank God for the CREC.